Database Manager

Job Description

This job is for you if you are data-driven, detail-oriented and enjoy working with teams to clean up, maintain and standardize Raiser’s Edge architecture. As a master of queries, imports, merges, and bulk uploads, your work will help maintain a clean and accurate alumni and donor database that enables the team to achieve its communications, engagement, fundraising, and stewardship goals.

The ideal Database Manager is a seasoned leader, including a :

Hands on Raiser's Edge SME who works at the intersection of data, technology, and fundraising strategy—Combining technical rigor with business (Development and Alumni Engagement) understanding.

Technologist/architect who designs the ecosystem and system / platform integrations

Strategist who defines the future of alumni and donor engagement data usage and integrity

Data leader who operationalizes insights, trends, and best practices

Role Overview

The Database Manager is a subject matter expert with 5-7+ years of hands-on experience who administers and manages the Raiser’s Edge constituent management database while maintaining established data entry guidelines and providing support to staff on Raiser’s Edge issues. This role manages all aspects of the Raiser’s Edge database and ensures data cleanliness and integrity, timely donor acknowledgement, and thorough reporting. This position creates, implements and supports systems in Raiser’s Edge that will enable the entire Development and Alumni Engagement Team to perform with greater efficiency and accountability.

This role helps support the end-to-end advancement and alumni data ecosystem, ensuring that technology stack, customer data platforms (CDPs) and integrated technologies enable a unified, data-driven alumni/donor centric experience across fundraising, alumni engagement and communications.

The Database Manager serves as the architect of the alumni and donor data infrastructure, aligning technology, data governance and business strategy to drive established ROI goals, engagement and operational efficiency.

In summary, the position serves as a key strategic partner to Advancement colleagues responsible for fundraising, alumni engagement, donor relations and communications. By ensuring the accuracy, accessibility and integration of constituent data, the Advancement Database Manager helps drive donor acquisition, retention, stewardship, campaign effectiveness and lifetime alumni engagement. This role directly supports the university’s ability to build stronger relationships with its alumni and philanthropic community.

Key Responsibilities

• - Create queries and exports for complicated lists for multiple internal teams
• - Assist with data segmentation queries
• - Manage data transfer process into / out of Raiser’s Edge, including multiple other online platforms
• - Manage record merging on a weekly basis and keep updated
• - Maintain and improve the overall integrity of the Raiser’s Edge database: updating records, merging constituents and adding relevant information provided by donors, prospects or alumni

1. Alumni & Donor Data Strategy

Be part of a team that helps define and execute a multi-year alumni and donor data strategy aligned with university goals

Establish the Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT Database as the single source of truth for alumni, donor and prospect data

Lead development of an alumni and donor 360 model to unify data across systems and touchpoints

Translate business objectives into scalable CRM and data solutions supporting lifecycle alumni and donor engagement

2. Data Governance & Customer Insights

Ensure advanced data quality, integrity, compliance (e.g., privacy, consent) and accessibility

Enable advanced analytics, segmentation and predictive insights using unified customer data

Establish enterprise-wide advanced data governance, taxonomy and standards

Champion data-driven decision-making across teams

3. Integration & Architecture Leadership

Ensure seamless data flow through APIs, middleware and modern integration patterns

Design and oversee database integration architecture across advancement systems (email, alumni engagement, brand, fundraising, reporting, data warehouse, etc.)

Lead initiatives to eliminate data silos and create connected alumni and donor experiences

4. Alumni and Donor Engagement Enablement

Support two key areas across the university:

Alumni Engagement Team – alumni engagement initiatives, activity tracking and list segmentation

Development Team – support annual giving solicitations, prospect pipeline development, relationship tracking, proactive analytics supporting a campaign and major gift solicitation.

Partner with Advancement teams to:

Optimize campaigns, journeys and segmentation

Improve conversion, retention and lifetime value

Enable personalization and lifecycle marketing and engagement through integrated technology platforms

Ensure effective use of Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT Database to deliver targeted, personalized experiences

5. Cross-Functional Leadership

Drive adoption, alignment and standardized processes across functions

Partner with fundraising, donor relations, alumni engagement, corporate relations, communications and IT teams

Lead data governance councils and executive steering committees

6. Operational Excellence & Performance

Define KPIs for CRM and/or database effectiveness (adoption, data quality, pipeline visibility, engagement, ROI)

Optimize workflows, automation and operational processes

Manage teams (indirect reports) including analysts, data engineers, etc.

7. Technology & Platform Ownership

Own the full development and alumni engagement technology stack architecture , including CRM, CDP, automation, analytics, AI and integrations

Evaluate, select and optimize platforms to drive ROI and scalability

Develop and maintain a long-term “Advancement Systems” technology roadmap and ecosystem strategy

8. Core Platforms & Technology Stack

The Advancement Database Manager is expected to have deep, 5-7+ years, expertise across the following categories:

Database Platforms:

Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT

Salesforce Education Cloud or Microsoft Dynamics 365 experience is not required, but bonus points for relevant database experience.

Integrations , Scripting, Reporting, Data Infrastructure, Marketing Automation:

Microsoft Excel

Data warehouses (Snowflake, Redshift, BigQuery)

ETL / ELT pipelines

APIs, Python, middleware / iPaaS

Power BI, Looker, Tableau

GiveCampus, PeopleGrove or Mongoose Cadence experience a plus

Not required, but bonus points for any experience with: Slate, GSC, Google Analytics / Adobe Analytics, customer journey analytics tools, Marketo, Eloqua, Pardot, Journey orchestration platforms

Required Skills & Competencies

Highly detail oriented with an acute degree of accuracy regarding data - ability to navigate data and spreadsheets

Excellent oral and written skills, with the ability to pay close attention to detail

Ability to work well with a team and manage competing priorities

Good organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills and the ability to work accurately and meet deadlines

Ability to work in a flexible way that allows for changes in assignments and priorities

Strong communication and interpersonal skills

Ability to be proactive

Strategic & Executive Leadership

Enterprise CRM, Data Strategy, Tech Stack development

Vendor and platform management

Executive stakeholder influence and cross-functional alignment

Technical & Architectural Expertise

Deep understanding of database architecture and integration patterns, specifically Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT

Data modeling, governance and data lifecycle management

Ability to design scalable, future-proof technology ecosystems

Data & Analytics Fluency

Customer segmentation, lifecycle modeling and attribution

Analytics-d